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“This is as good as this football team has played all year. I’m proud of how my players answered the bell today. We’re going to celebrate this tonight." --Hilltops head coach Tom Sargeant
Published Oct 20, 2025 • 4 minute read
Saskatoon Hilltops celebrate a PFC semifinal win over Winnipeg Rifles
SASKATOON, SASK. – October 19, 2025 – 1018 sports hilltops football – Saskatoon Hilltops running back David Collins (10) celebrates his touchdown with defensive lineman Huntur Johnson (67) during PFC semi-final action against Winnipeg Rifles at SMF Field. Photo taken in Saskatoon on Sunday, October 19, 2025. Photo by Michelle Berg /Saskatoon StarPhoenix
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The Saskatoon Hilltops picked an ideal time to put up their most dominant performance of the season.
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The Hilltops scored eight touchdowns and throttled the Winnipeg Rifles 60-26 In their Prairie Football Conference semifinal Sunday at the Gordie Howe Sports Complex in Saskatoon.
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“This,” said head coach Tom Sargeant, “is as good as this football team has played all year.”
The win sets up a PFC final rematch between the Hilltops and Regina Thunder, who defeated the host Hilltops in last year’s final, 24-19.
“I’m proud of how my players answered the bell today,” added Sargeant. “We’re going to celebrate this tonight. We’re going to get to work and we’ll have good plans for our players next week. We don’t care where we play. We’re just blessed that we get to play a game next week.”
In Sunday’s semifinal in Saskatoon, the Hilltops scored three first-quarter touchdowns and added another late in the second quarter on their way to a 29-12 half-time lead over the Rifles. Then the Hilltops piled it on with four more touchdowns in the third quarter.
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“For three quarters, that’s as good as we played all year,” said Sargeant.
“The coaches did a great job of defining and setting what the game plans needed to be. The players did a heck of a job of executing it. All in all, for 45 minutes, very happy with doing what we are, and then our young guys got in.”
Hilltops rushing leader David Collins, with 1,028 rushing yards during the regular season, added 207 more in this game. Collins surpassed the 100-yard rushing mark before the game was 10 minutes old after a 56-yard run that gave the Hilltops a 21-7 lead. He added a 55-yard rushing major 5:16 into the third quarter, making it 42-12 at the time.
Also scoring two rushing majors were Charles Sawi and Corbin Ebben. Sawi had 104 yards rushing on only three carries in the game, with an 80-yard scamper on a successful reverse play and a 27-yard touchdown. Ebben scored on five- and nine-yard rushes during the game.
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“Those guys are beasts,” said Hilltops starting quarterback Brexton Elias, who had a 16-yard rushing major of his own.
“We’ve got like three or four guys we can rely on all the time to just run the ball hard for us. They’re going to put their heads down and get all the yards they can.”
Elias was 3-of-5 for 40 yards passing. Griffin Sander replaced Elias in the second half, and passed for 58 yards connecting on seven of nine passes, including a touchdown to David Boyd Jr on a 31-yard pass.
On the Winnipeg side, PFC leading passer Riley Element was 24-of-45 for 338 yards, including a 30-yard touchdown pass to Jarome Penner. Thunder leading rusher Kaiden Banfield had 123 yards and two touchdowns of one and two yards. Rifles kicker Gabriel Yaipen was good on a 30-yard field goal and a convert. Hilltops kicker Ryden Gratton converted all eight converts and added a 35-yard field goal. The Rifles also scored on two Hilltop safeties.
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Starring on defence was Nathan Gallant, who had two interceptions and also led the Hilltops with four unassisted tackles. Isaac Michayluk had three tackles and five assisted tackles. Leading the Rifles were Kyler Banfield and Derek Gumieny, with five tackles each.
The Hilltops will head to Regina to face the host Thunder in the PFC final next Sunday. The Thunder punched its ticket to the championship game with its own dominant 49-10 win over the Edmonton Huskies on Sunday.
“I’m happy that we get to go back and play them (Regina) again,” said Elias.
“If we put everything together and play our way, we can beat these guys. It showed the first time we played them, that we can beat them, so I’m excited to go back there and get the chance to play them again.”
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TOP-UPS: The Hilltops defeated the Thunder 18-15 in regular season action in Regina on Sept. 6, but the Thunder returned the favour with a 24-21 defeat of the Hilltops in Saskatoon on Sept. 27… The winner of the PFC championship will go on to host the Canadian Bowl at home on Nov. 9.
drice@postmedia.com
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[Saskatoon Hilltops receiver David Boyd Jr. (82) hangs on to the ball against the Calgary Colts in Prairie Football Conference action at SMF Field. Photo taken in Saskatoon on Sunday, October 12, 2025.
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2. [Minnesota's David Collins (10) is the first-ever American import running back on the Saskatoon Hilltops in the Canadian Junior Football League's Prairie Football Conference. (Photo courtesy of Saskatoon Hilltops/Louis Christ)
PFC showdown: Regina Thunder even the score with Saskatoon Hilltops](https://thestarphoenix.com/sports/pfc-showdown-regina-thunder-even-the-score-with-saskatoon-hilltops?itm_source=saskatoon-hilltops&utm_source=read-more)
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